


Lighthouse Keeper’s Last Relay

by redlipstickkisses



Series: Lorem Ipsum [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: (Much), Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author has a thing about names and symbolism (If you're confused google it), Character Deaths, Dysfunctional People Raising Children, F/F, F/M, Families of Choice, Gen, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I repeat, I swear this is the last time I mess with it, I'm horribly inconsistent, Intersex Zabuza because I said so, Kasumi shouldn't be allowed to parent, Kirigakure, Masquerades as cannon for a while and then you're lost, Multi, Ninja childhood, Other, Still not sure how this happened, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Village Hidden in the Mist is it's own warning, Tiny Murder Children, Uzushio Village, Yuki Koyuki is not a bad mom, cracks knuckles, lets do this, liberal use of metaphors, nonbinary characters - Freeform, so AU, take that as you will, teenagers overthrowing the government (or attempting to), unintentional misgendering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-04-28 18:01:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5100359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redlipstickkisses/pseuds/redlipstickkisses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once there were three children. A boy named Ikki who was destined to love and die, his only purpose to be a father and a love. A girl named Izō who was destined to make a mistake and pay the price. And a girl named Akiko who was destined to love and lose and become as cold as ice.<br/>Once upon a time there was hope for them but then they met and their fates were sealed. What come next, that my dear, is a whole ‘nother story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lighthouse Keeper’s Last Relay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [100demons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/100demons/gifts), [because this is all your fault](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=because+this+is+all+your+fault).
  * Inspired by [Two Realms - The Appendices](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4773893) by [Ajax the Great (Ajax_the_Great)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ajax_the_Great/pseuds/Ajax%20the%20Great), [The Jingo (The_King_in_White)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_King_in_White/pseuds/The%20Jingo). 



> I tell you now, I have 1) NO idea how this happened, 2) this is all 999% 100demons fault. I have a bunch written but you should know that I'm notorious for going back and editing. I'll try to let you know if I go back and make changes. This was supposed to be a fix-it fic. It then spiraled into a universe exploring relationships and disability in the ninja world. Enjoy. And tell me what you think.
> 
> Edit 5/5/16" My apologies this should be the last time I screw with it. I might do a sequel depending on inspiration or not but this is what I've got.

 

    History never records the Truth. It's funny that way. I could say any story is true but it wouldn't make my words real. Not until you  _ believed _ it, and made it so. This is something the shinobi take full advantage and account of. Wait a few years while memories are lost and an event that never happened is pivotal and a new identity is well established.

    You can have lies and partial truths and sides of the story but you will never know what actually happened. 

    History likes its Lies. So do Legends. The record keepers like to strip the Humanity away. They like to cloud the Truth. They like their Fearless Heroes. Their good triumphant over evil, Happily Ever After. 

    It goes the other way too. People like to believe that the stories of monsters and violence are real only for a convenient amount of time. If they go on for any longer (to much like reality) they reject them. 

    (They like to forget that the world is not black or white or even a million shades of grey, so why do we insist on reducing it to such?)

    If History had been but a little kinder many would have lived forever in Legend and Notoriety. But History and Legend are not  _ Kind _ and neither are their Keepers and so you will never know the Truth or even an approximation.

    That is if you don't read on.

    (Do it. I dare you.)

    The thing is, you may think you  _ know _ **this** story. But truly you only know  **_a_ ** story. (There's as difference there, look a little closer.) You only know a  _ piece _ . A mere glimpse through a warped lense. And truth is a jigsaw puzzle, a mosaic put together well enough that your mind can fill in the cracks. Wipe away your preconceived notions, and have some more clues to this puzzle. You might be able to put together enough of the truth. 

 

* * *

 

    Once there were two girls. (That's always how these stories start aren't they? With innocence.) One was named for autumn, the shining, gleaming herald of winter. The other was named for the ice that ran in her blood and the iron of her spine. 

    Akiko and Izō, this is important, I suggest you remember it. 

    Akiko is the third child of four and Izō is the older of twins. Izō and Koyuki are born into a large clan that spreads through the north. Akiko and her family scrape by. For the first decade or so of their lives, their threads are separated. Then one day in class they look up at the same time and they are drawn together by an unknowable force. 

    They are never separated again after that first meeting, their lives forever intertwined. 

    They are an unstoppable force and there is no unmovable object that can stop them when they work together. 

    Izō works to master her clan’s bloodline and Akiko becomes one of the best infiltrators that Kirigakure has had in a long time. It's no surprise when BUNSHŌ comes knocking. 

    When Izō meets a Chūnin with a specialization in medical jutsu, she smiles and introduces him to Akiko. Ikki rounds out their trio and balances them. Where Akiko brings opponents down from the inside and Izō defeats them before the fight can start, Ikki turns them against themselves. They become a common sight, the three of them. 

    When Katsura is born she has two mothers and a father and there's nothing out of the ordinary about that. 

    (But war is brewing and what war does best is pit friend against friend, sister against sister.) 

    When Izō leaves, three training grounds are reduced to rubble and Katsura screams for hours. 

    When Ikki faces Izō on the battlefield she cries as she kills him. When Akiko receives the news she feels like she's been frozen. 

    (You see just because someone’s life is tied to yours doesn't mean you'll be happy.

    Akikio should be careful about freezing here heart, or she might lose more than herself to it eventually.)

    Even the most stubborn of leaves is ripped from the trees in time. Autumn is a transition. It is death wrapped up in colors so vibrant we forget that they're a cry for a little more time. But always the first snow comes.

* * *

 

 

    (Moving forward, well its not pretty.)

    It is war. Not the beginning and not the end, not even the heat of the climax. It is sometime between the fever pitch and the decrescendo. Somewhere on the outskirts of a village hidden in a bloody mist a child is born to a shinobi. Ikki is dead, killed in one of the bloody battles at the hands of a once friend. Katsura helps Akikio through her labor, young as she is. 

    (Everyone else is too busy fighting and dying and killing to help start a new life.)

   She's not quite sure if her baby is a boy or a girl, they seem to be a little bit of both. Together they decide that male pronouns seem to fit the best. She names him Kenshi, like Ikki wanted.  Katsura is thrilled to have a little brother. She doesn't think about Izō.

    For a little while it is peaceful in the Momochi house. The biggest cause of tears is late nights and a hungry baby. But soon their bubble is popped and the horrors of war creep back in like a fog. All too soon Akiko is back to fighting the war from the shadows, behind a whirlpool mask.  Katsura cares for Kenshi and one day Akiko looks at them as Kenshi takes wobbly steps towards his sister and realizes just how much she's missed.

    And yet... She will not rest until her quarry is dead.

* * *

 

 

    Akiko places the head on the table and  Katsura  and Kenshi stare at it and her in confusion and curiosity. She hates Izō so much (as much as she once loved her), and yet she can take nothing else from her. But she can make sure her family knows the the same suffering. Akiko looks her children in the eyes. 

    "This is the head of the woman who killed your father." They absorb that fact silently and Akiko continues. "Her name was Izō Yuki." She points to her dead blank stare which was once so full of life. "You can always recognize a Yuki by their eyes. They're like permafrost, as cold as their damn kekkei genkai.”

   Kenshi is studying the head intently and Akiko is pleased. He will go far and the Yuki's will have much to fear. 

 

* * *

 

Katsura  enrolls in the shinobi academy. Kenshi waits for zir everyday and when zie returns he pleads for zir to teach him. And teach him zie does. He soaks up the training like the ground after a drought, and then turns around and asks what's next. 

    Kenshi is skilled with blades while  Katsura works primarily with zir chakra. They train together, finding each other's weak points and picking at them until callouses of skill form and harden.

    Akiko is gone for long stretches of time on missions, and they are left to fend for themselves. They often go to the forest away from the craggy cliffs of the village to hunt and gather as well as train.  Katsura calls Kenshi, Zabuza with a smile on zir face when he takes down a rabbit with a single throw. 

    One trip they end up going too far and end up lost, and in the process stumble upon a house, deep in the woods. It has a large garden and everything about it seems mismatched, as if everything was either homemade or bought at different times. There is a older woman working in the garden. Her skin is a deep brown and her dark brown hair is beginning to streak with silver. She fixes her sightless eyes on them and speaks.

   "I know you are there, you two are as quiet as a herd of deer." 

   Sheepishly they approach. Her name is Ikuto, she is not shinobi, and she has lived in the forest for years. She has never seen the sun, nor the plants she cares for with such diligence. Ikuto is blind and she relies on texture and taste and smell as well as her huge knowledge of flora to do what she does, and she is good. The best in fact. 

    She is an apothecary. She survives by trading with the occasional traveler, offering them shelter and medicines in return for company and goods. (She also deals in death but this is a truth they do not learn for years.) Her laugh is wild and cackling and her will is said to make all others bow down before it. Kenshi believes it. She gives them shelter for the night and directs them back home in the morning. 

    She's not surprised when they show up again.

* * *

  
    Kenshi is six and eight months and  Katsura is graduating from the academy. Zie won't stop babbling about what zie plans to do when zie is a full fledged shinobi, how much zie is going to teach him. The morning of the exam he hugs zir and promises to meet zir after school. He runs down to the school yard to meet  Katsura  and what greets him is a horror. His sister is fighting for zir life against zir classmate and the yard is already soaked with blood. Zir favorite kunai is in zir hand and zie is splattered with gore, some of it zir's and some not. Kenshi screams as zir classmate gets in a lucky blow with a shuriken and zie falls, blood spurting from zir neck.  

    Katsura doesn't get up.

 

* * *

 

    Kasumi takes another swig out of her bottle and is disappointed to find it empty. She turns her attention back to the thin file on the table in front of her. This was all its fault. 

    Fucking Lighthouse Duty. *

*  Lighthouse Duty- When a Jounin of Kirigakure is assigned to watch over certain Genin and act as a mentor through their shinobi careers. Similar in practice to Konoha and Suna’s three Genin - Jounin cells. The lists of assigned Genin can range from one Genin per Jounin to up to ten Genin per Jounin and can be added to as Genin graduate.

    Kasumi had nothing against anyone who got Lighthouse Duty, in fact she applauded them for not killing the brats. However she had hoped her complete lack of interest in relationships would let her live a childfree lifestyle. Apparently she was wrong. Apparently every force that had ever been worshipped was mocking her. 

    (This is a beginning.)

 

* * *

 

    Hoshigaki Kisame didn’t look like anything special compared to the rest of his clan. He had the signature blue pigmentation and sharp teeth, but he was gangly and gawky and uncoordinated. Long lines and broad shoulders he hadn't grown into yet.  

    It’s kind of a miracle he’s survived this long with the weak get eaten mentality of the Hoshigaki clan. But that's the kind of thing that can change in an instant. 

    (He may have passed the graduation exam but he’s not a shark yet, right now he’s just bait.)

 

* * *

 

     Kasumi hunts down Harusame after her **first** _disastrous_ D-rank with Kisame. (seriously how does cleaning barnacles off of the pier supports lead to widespread destruction? Nevermind, he's a _Hoshigaki_.)  Harusame isn’t her go to drinking partner but he’s been teaching the Saiken for years(brat just finally got promoted) so she figures he’ll have some interesting stories of misery to share. 

    That’s what this is, commiserating. 

    She feels vaguely guilty now about how she would snicker at the previous Keepers and their dire warnings about Lighthouse Duty and then go back to her drink. Kami if only Ikkaku was here to laugh at her and buy her another drink and dare her to dive down the Rokubi trench and stay for five minutes. She misses his sarcasm and wild plans and a very large part of her hopes the stupid narwhal finds some obscure corner of the sea to go drown in. (A small part of her wants him to be safe.) Frankly her old academy friend can kiss her Tasseled Scorpiontail shaped birthmark. Mei would be included in that statement too if the little lionfish hadn’t been on a mission that was completely out of her control. Umino had no excuse.

    At least Harusame just goes along with minor struggling when she grabs him and heads for the Wait & Tackle (and oh god she had asked about the name once and Yori had laughed for a half an hour before Fuji had heard and come barreling out of the back and taken him down to the floor looking vaguely betrayed and wholly furious with a  _ ‘You swore never to speak of it!’. _ )

    Ganryū is sitting there at the bar already and he raises a cup and an eyebrow at their arrival. Fuji just smiles and pulls down a bottle out and places it in front of her, with a half fond, half serious, _ you know the rules _ , before turning to ask what Harusame wants. 

    The rest of the night passes in snippets and flashes. 

    Harusame blowing bubbles in his drink instead of drinking it. 

     Yori giving Ganryū the wrong order to see if he would notice. (He did. Thank Kami Fuji is as good as she is.) 

    She also vaguely remembers swearing to burn the Bloody Mist to the ground and spit on its ashes. That could be problematic. 

    Thankfully she also remembers her ‘friends’ laughing and telling her that she has no sense of subtlety. (Why does she associate with them again? She wants to snarl at them and string someone up because her whole life she's been playing a part. She's a diplomat and a seal master and a traitor and she's still alive. She has subtle down to a fucking art. But that would ruin it all.) So she smiles like a shark and laughs along and her threats are marked down as the drunken rantings of a vengeful Keeper. 

    Look underneath the underneath the underneath. Kasumi is wrapped up in so many layers it's a miracle she hasn’t suffocated. 

 

* * *

 

    Kasumi very carefully does not react when she's completely doused. It was a d-ranked suiton that he wasn't even aiming  _ near  _ her. She grimaced a little on the inside at Kisame’s horrible habit of overloading jutsus. He just had too much chakra. It was slightly ridiculous. His coils were  _ still  _ developing. And consequently his control sucked. 

    She quirked the corner of her lips up. The terrified, deer in the headlights look on Kisame’s face faded.

    “Try a little less.” 

    This is how a relationship is built.

 

* * *

 

 

 

    Kenshi is nine and he enters the school yard like he belongs there. He is still too young to be enrolled in the academy but his sister had taught him much. He flips zir kunai in his hand. The first to die is the brother of the boy who killed  Katsura . It only takes a single stroke and Kenshi feels hollow. They fall before him like leaves in the autumn and the blood is on his hands and on his face and in his mouth and all he can hear,  _ feel _ is the rush. 

    It feels  _ wonderful. _

    (He wonders if the rush he's hearing is their souls flowing away like the outgoing tide.)

     And then it's over and they're all dead and there's blood all over his hands and face and tongue. He sits down and curls around his knees and tries to block everything out. There are tears trying to track down his face but all they do is mix with the blood there and streak  _ downdowndown  _ and its drying sticky and tacky. He doesn't feel regret but he doesn't feel victory either, all he feels is empty. And when the BUNSHŌ officials ask him what his name is he tells them Momochi  _ Zabuza _ .

   For years to come people will whisper of the demon child who slew so many.

 

* * *

 

    Momochi Zabuza comes out of nowhere. 

    (It’s a habit he’ll keep throughout his life.)

     They don’t look for the warning signs. They don’t see the water receding from the shore and so when the tsunami crashes down on their heads they're taken off guard.  

    Kasumi looks down at the new name on the list she’s been assigned and wonders if Ikkaku didn’t have the right idea when he got the hell out of dodge.

 

* * *

 

    He wraps his face in bandages in the aftermath of the first battle after. (Once his hands have stopped shaking and his stomach finished emptying its contents.) 

    It was a slaughter really and Riptide stands by quietly as he scrubs at blood that isn’t there any more. They called him a demon, so he will become one and make it so to look upon the demon’s mask means death. 

 

* * *

 

    Kasumi watches the newbie work. He’s efficient, she’ll give him that. A brawler, brutal and bloody. There’s a bit of refinement to his edges, as if he’s had a bit of training. Good, there’s a foundation to start with. 

    The vomiting might be a problem if it continues, but most young newbies have some difficulties. Though it’s a bit surprising for a boy who murdered over a hundred children in cold blood. 

    Momochi works like geyser. Wait and strike and wait.

    For the billionth time she wonders who thought it would be a good idea to put  _ her _ in charge of children. 

    She needs a drink.

 

* * *

 

  Kasumi snorts when he meets her the next day but says nothing about the bandages swathed round his face. She doesn’t even threaten to seal his chakra when he attacks Kisame for mocking him. That’s his first clue to who’s watching him on both sides of the coin, but it takes years to connect silent, stoic Riptide with Kasumi, the immovable object that moves with unstoppable force wrapped up in a desert of dry, cutting humor trying to drown herself at the bottom of a bottle.

    (He vows he will never again taste copper and bloodlust, not unless the blood is his own.) 

**_Spoiler:_** He still tastes it. 

 

* * *

 

  Kasumi can feel the pride and attachment growing every time she meets with her brats. They’re growing strong and they’re growing fast. It was a bit of a surprise when Zabuza turned out to have an air affinity but then, her brats wouldn’t be her brats if they made her life easy. Though his air affinity makes his mist jutsu even stronger. The two of them have meet Zoe, and the otter summons is as aggressively mothering towards them as she is towards Kasumi. 

    However that does not mean she approves of Kisame sealing a summoning contract, an original one at that, without anyone, not even her present. The happiness and pride on Kisame’s face does nothing to change the fact that she would very much like to strangle him. (Not that that's a new urge.) 

    But the contract is sealed and so their motley crew gains three juvenile sharks. Kasumi is very much of the opinion that she did not sign up for this. 

 

* * *

 

     The Hozuki family is lucky they have been known for their loyalty. (well they're as loyal as you can at when your very body is as shifting as the water on the sands.) There aren't too many kekkei genkai users left, not that there were many to start with. Most of the Hoshigaki clans as been wiped out (too wild, too untamable and unpredictable and loyal only to the strongest. Not even their status as one of the first caste could save them.) and the Hozuki clan, never big to begin with has been pruned. And brutally so. Still Kasumi has two new names on her list.

    Hozuki Mangetsu.

    Hozuki Suigetsu.

    And what a pair of ambitious,  _ perceptive, _ little shrimp they are. 

 

* * *

 

    When Suigetsu mentions the woman who helped him with water walking he very carefully doesn't flinch and asks his little brother what she looks like. If there's one thing Mangetsu has learned it's that nothing is free. Not even water walking lessons, actually especially teaching. He shudders a bit when the description matches with a woman he's seen around the past couple of weeks. He doesn't like it.

    Next time he sees her he walks right up to her and asks what she wants with his brother. She laughs and he can see her sharp teeth. Like his. He knows it's a genetic trait shared among lots of families in Kiri but it's unnerving. She tells him to think of her as a sort of sentinel and says something else about perceptive little brats.

    She's gone in a wisp of mist and when he gets home he digs out mom's black book. She had called it a Bingo Book. This is the first time he's actually gone looking for someone in it. He's read through it before, mom taught him to read with it. It's full to the brim of her loopy handwriting and dads crazy code.

    Weeks and months and years later Mangetsu will think back to Akane Kasumi, the Red Mist of Kirigakure and her page in the Bingo book and wonder just how she had managed to keep so much information from her enemies. One day he asks her and she smiles at him with those sharp, sharp, teeth (they don't look natural on her the way they do one others and that is even scarier) and tells him that enemies can only report on you if they're alive. 

 

* * *

 

Kukiko laughs as they turn to show their mother their trick. Wasn't it wonderful how snow danced to their will? Surely Mother would laugh and ask what other shapes they could make.

Kukiko does not expect for Mother to grab their wrist and shake them until they lose their control over the water, calling them wicked child. Nor did they expect for Mother to collapse to her knees with tears running down her face as she kisses their hands and swears them to secrecy and makes them promise to never do it again, apologizing every other word. 

    They don't expect for Father to bring the neighbors over, nor for them to strike Mother as she places herself in front of  them . They don't expect the blood or the stillness as she lies there.  Kukiko scrambles back as Father approaches with a foreign expression on his face. The axe in his hand is red. Their back hits the wall and they shut their eyes flinching away. They feel a tug and the room grows cold. 

    They listen to the screams, they watch as the blood drips and congeals and freezes, all with detachment. Their body moves on its own, taking them away from the house, weaving in between the icicles piercing the house. They walk and walk before they collapse in the snow. All around them is white. 

    They feel cold.

 

* * *

 

   Kasumi knows Zabuza is standing at the foot of her hospital bed. She can feel the worry and anger rolling off him in waves. Her head feels like it's been smashed like a melon and her torso feels like a giant bruise. She's pretty sure she might have a fractured rib but it's hard to focus with the storm of nausea. Maybe starting a bar brawl wasn't the best idea.

    (Needless to say alcohol poisoning and internal bleeding are not recommended bedfellows.)

    She keeps her eyes closed, her muscles relaxed and her breath even and deep. To most it would seem as if she were sleeping, completely unaware. But Zabuza’s kept enough watches to know how she sleeps. He snarls his ultimatum at her. 

    Either she finds a way to get sober and stay sober by the time he’s back from snow country, or he kills her himself. 

    Kasumi’s eyes snap open at the sound of his voice. She keeps her breathing from changing but lets her lips pull into a vicious smirk. 

    “As if you could.”

    Zabuza’s response is a kunai thrown at her carotid artery. He leaves before she can throw it back at him and it sticks in the wall with an unsatisfying, resounding thunk. 

    She presses the call bell and demands her sketchpad. She has her work cut out for her.

 

* * *

 

    Kasumi works with seals. For all that she’s a diplomat, her true power lies in drawing power from elegant lines and simple shapes. If pushed she can rewrite the code of the world, but she doesn’t know this. 

    This is important.

 

* * *

 

    They wander and steal and starve, they aren't sure for how long. They aren't sure why they are still alive. And yet still they fight and chase away the dogs and scavenge.

    It's snowing and they curl in on themselves trying to keep what little warmth there is from fading away. But the cold is a patient killer. It stalks its prey until it can run no more and then waits with wide jaws until it succumbs. They can feel the frost sinking into their bones and blood. Their lips turning blue and their breaths rattling in their chest. The snow falls on their head and shoulders in little drifts stealing more life. 

 

* * *

 

    It’s luck that the report of suspected clan activity comes when it does. A little sooner or a little later and things would be unrecognizably different. But be that as it may, it comes when it comes…

 

* * *

 

    Zabuza looks at Kasumi in her hospital bed and is struck by how wrong the picture is. She had always managed to avoid the worst of injuries and insisted on treating herself whenever possible. 

    In his opinion she has surrendered that right after forcing him to wait for news. To hear if she would survive her own stupidity. A fucking  _ bar brawl _ of all things. 

    He’s more angry than worried. (and he’s plenty worried because this is the woman who kept him going, kept him _ living _ for the past four years, even if at points it was just to spite her.) 

    To most it would seem as if she were sleeping, completely unaware. But Zabuza’s kept enough watches to know how Kasumi sleeps, so he snarls his ultimatum at her. 

    Kasumi’s eyes snap open. Her breathing doesn’t change but her lips pull into a vicious smirk. (She can’t see it, no one can, but Zabuza’s snarl looks an awful lot like hers. Like mother, like son, I guess.)

    “As if you could.”

    Zabuza’s response is a kunai thrown at her carotid artery. He leaves before she can throw it back at him. 

 

* * *

 

     They hear footsteps and then they come to a stop and they lift their head. It takes so much effort. There is a man standing in front of them. He is dressed warmly and has bandages wrapped around his face. He's talking but they don't hear him. His eyes are what catch their attention. They remind them of theirs.

 

* * *

 

    Zabuza couldn't tell you what makes him stop when he sees the little beggar kid. It's not like beggars live particularly long or are particularly special. The mission is a dead end and Kirigakure is singing its siren’s song. And still he stops. If he had to give a reason he thinks it might have been their eyes. They're dark brown and cold with hopelessness.  

    (Like his.) 

    When the kid speaks up about it,  _ well if they saw it too then...  _

__  (Those two with their _ lonelykillerhollow eyes,  _ they're a matched set. And like calls to like.)

 

* * *

 

     “No one wants you huh? Before winter ends you’ll die with nothing, not even a dream.” Zabuza muses aloud

    "Well little one, will you stay here and die, or come with me and be of some use."

    The offer is greeted with a nod. They stumble to their feet and when they reach Zabuza he places a hand on their shoulder. They're cold and shivering so he pulls them close to him and loses his chakra as well to warm the child who should have frozen to death hours ago.

 

* * *

 

    Zabuza comes home to find Kasumi sitting at his table with a cup of tea in front of her. She's smiling the smile that she wears when villages fall before her. He checks and the kid is asleep in his room, he can see them through the open door. There's no blood but that means nothing, the largest sign of life is the steady rise and fall of their chest.

    Kasumi’s eyes are locked on his and he can feel her  _ willing  _ him to tell her what she already knows. “You seem to have picked up a stray, Squirt. And what a cute little cuttle fish they are. Following in my footsteps or is there something I should know?” 

* * *

 

   Two days and a little visit from Kasumi, and Zabuza decides that perhaps the kid shouldn’t stay with him in Kiri proper. There’s too much at risk now. Too many eyes and ears and sensors and this might as well be hostile territory with how much they’re looking over their shoulders and still they're not safe. Yeah, a change in location sounds about right.

 

* * *

 

    There is an apothecary (a poisoner really) and her name means many constellations. (It also means violent, but she is a woman of many moods.) Her hair is dark and is struck through with silver, like stars in the night sky. Her laugh is wild and cackling and her will can make all others bow down before it. 

    Zabuza knows this.

 

* * *

 

    Ikuto has a foster child now. Kazeko is a tiny thing really, born without lower legs, who had lost her parents and her wheelchair in a fire. Ikuto bought her prosthetics and taught her how to smile again, and showed her how to run. And soon the little girl was running around so much that she had gained the nickname Gazelle, and the name has stuck. Zabuza brings the beggar child to Ikuto with every intention of leaving them there but Ikuto seems to have seen through him. She ropes him into things, keeps him busy so he can’t leave, and soon he finds he doesn’t want to. 

    The beggar child does not remember much of their past and insists on being addressed as they, much as his sister had taught him to use zie and zir when speaking of zir. The reminder of Katsura stings before fading quickly. 

    The child can not remember their name and when Zabuza offers up Yuki as a surname, they believe it to be because of their first meeting. 

     (It’s not. The child's eyes are like permafrost. Dark and frozen cold. Zabuza remembers his mother’s words even now.)

    Ikuto suggests Haku with a laugh and Zabuza snorts. She always did have a sense of humor, a feeling of poetic irony. Once Haku accepts their new name with a smile, Ikuto slaps the table and gets up to make dinner. That night Ikuto corners him as he leaves and forces him to eat with the three of them. 

    Zabuza discovers he likes it here with wild little Gazelle and wintery Haku and their deadly and caring Ikuto. 

 

* * *

 

    Zabuza does return to Kirigakure, but when he can, he returns home. Kasumi watches him go with a knowing look in her eyes and a sarcastic wiggle of her fingers. He fights the urge to stick out his tongue and glares instead. She rolls her eyes and goes back to explaining storage sealing to Mangetsu, his little brother sitting next to them bright eyed. 

    He finds that Haku has managed to capture a baby rabbit, and after much pleading from the children Ikuto had bent and let them keep it. 

 

* * *

 

    Once Chikaze attempts to escape. (And damn Ikuto must have passed her talent for naming on to the kids because the pest is  _ fast. _ ) The look on Haku’s face when Zabuza returns with Chikaze dangling by the ears is enough for him not to threaten rabbit stew for once.

 

* * *

 

    Zabuza has earned his name for a reason though, and he carries his whispered title (curse) with pride (grief). BUNSHŌ never really suited him (though his call sign did) and soon he wields the Kubikiribōchō. He is known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist far and wide (some whisper it and some scream it) and the other six swordsmen stand with him, united by their blades. With this change in status comes a change in perspective. 

    (Even though Zabuza does not  _ like  _ the Fourth Mizukage, he is his leader and he respects him, to an extent.)

    Lets just say, he’s none too pleased to discover an Uchiha pulling the Mizukage’s strings. He attempts to change this, but people are slow to change, especially when they are ignorant of the truth. 

 

* * *

 

    He retreats to Ikuto’s cabin. 

    He continues to train the children in battle. He shows them how to move quickly and silently, and where to hit to make the kill  _ hurt,  _ or how to make it painless. Ikuto has shown them how to smile, and how to cook, and make perfume. Now she teaches them poisons, and how to identify herbs, and hidden death, and to slip undetected among the best, and how to  _ wait _ .

    Sometimes Zabuza thinks, (When Gazelle calls him big brother, and Ikuto is showing the kids exactly how to tell if the food you're about to eat will kill you or not, and Haku curls up beside him in bed because they couldn’t sleep and they’re sticking their cold feet on him, and when Ikuto makes them all sit and eat dinner together)  They're almost like a family.

 

* * *

 

    Kisame has been missing nin for about a month when he runs into the Konoha ANBU. Kasumi just sighs and leans back further into the shadow of the tree she’s perched in to watch the show. With her chakra masking seal no one can tell she's here. (She wasn't a BUNSHŌ commander for nothing and people may have looked down at her for being third caste but she rose to heights because she  _ earned  _ it.) She should probably do something but stopping Kisame once he smells blood in the water, so to speak, has always been more trouble than it's worth. 

    Besides the (is that a badger or a weasel and is that a slow loris?) ANBU seem to be holding their own. Slow Loris, there's no mistaking those big round eyes, is very skilled with that tanto of his and Weasel (yeah that's a weasel) actually managed to singe Kisame’s ridiculous hairstyle. (Why did she ever let him near Ao again? Oh yeah he was the only one willing to take up babysitting duty that week and an unsupervised Kisame was asking, no  _ begging, _ for destruction. The sad thing was he didn't even do it on purpose.)

   It's when Kisame actually lands a hit on Slow Loris’s torso (because contrary to what his name might suggest the sucker is  _ fast _ ) with Samehada and she starts to unravel that Kasumi activates the chakra block seal (with the special paralysis symbols). She also releases her chakra suppression seal as she flips upside down and hangs by her knees from the branch she was perched on. 

    She's seen enough. 

    “Hoshigaki Kisame, what have I told you about controlling your temper. Samehada don't you say a thing, you're just as bad as he is. Now, unless you want to end up as shark fin soup, I suggest that Samehada wraps herself backup.” 

    “Who are you.” Weasel sounds young. Kasumi smiles sharply. 

    “Mmh, if you really want to know you'll find out.” She narrows her eyes at her renegade charge. “I'm waiting.” 

    Samehada begins to shrink back down. 

    “Now Shark bait, may I suggest you go with these fine shinobi to Konoha, the world really doesn't need you getting bored and starting another coup.”

     Kisame seems to bristle. “That was,”

    “Don't try the whole disillusionment thing with me boy, you were bored and restless and alone and your comrades asked for your assistance. I've learned a thing or two in my time.”

    “Busy body”

    “I'm still alive.” 

    She could feel the ANBU watching them, evaluating them. Time for the final push. 

    “Besides, maybe Slow Loris will help you with learning how to use Samehada as something other than a blunt weapon. Tah Shark Bait.” 

    She flickered away in a wisp of mist but didn't leave the area or release the seals until the three of them had come to an agreement. She smiled when she heard Kisame’s assent, he had been alone for too long.  

    And with allies in Konoha, maybe, just maybe this can happen. 

 

* * *

 

    Look underneath the underneath the underneath. Kasumi is weighed down with so many masks she’s drowning under the weight. 

    Kasumi remembers the stories her mom told her. Stories about a city that rose from the sea and was the eye of every storm. Of a city made of seal and stone and blood and chakra. Of a city that shimmered white above the waves and glinted with every color imaginable. 

    She told her about people who were bright and cheerful and wild and free and loyal and about a village where you didn't have to kill to be strong. A village where the scent of blood didn't hang heavy in the air. She told her about their family that once was, standing dark and stark and as rare as jet among the bright colors of Uzushiogakure but accepted wholeheartedly nonetheless. 

    She told her and she remembers and she vows and she waits. 

    A patient enemy is dangerous. 

    Kasumi isn't a nice person. She cares yes. But she's been living a lie for so long even  _ she's _ not sure what's true anymore. She cares about her brats, and she wants them to excel. 

    But she also _ wants. _ She wants Kiri to pay. She wants Uzoshio back. She wants those responsible for the haunted look in her mother's eyes to  _ pay.  _ And she's willing to sacrifice for her goal. 

    She's been hiding from the Mizukage for a lifetime right under his nose. She's as damaged as the rubble of the home she's never seen. Part of that falls to her mother and part to the bloody mist and part to herself. She is a damaged person trying to help damaged children and she is doomed to fail. 

 

* * *

 

    Zabuza may have found a family but he is still a Rouge ninja and Kirigakure is not well pleased with him. He should have known better than to stay in one place for too long. The tracker nin finds them at the turn of the season’s. Gazelle is back at the house working on her homework because Ikuto had insisted on the children getting some traditional education and then simply done it without waiting for his response.(He will deny until his death that he was too scared to cross blades with her over that. Knowing  her, she would have poisoned him.)

    Zabuza is in the woods with Ikuto and Haku helping with the harvest. 

    They attack and for all that Ikuto is intelligent and intimidating, she is not a ninja and she was not prepared. She falls and her blood turns the dark green leaves sticky. It’s only one right now, probably a scout, but more will be on the way. Haku stares at the threat with shock and icy malice. And before Zabuza can do much more than get into a stance, Haku has already engaged. Zabuza joins in and together they finish the tracker off. 

    Zabuza strips the corpse of their mask. He almost wants to laugh when he spots the design painted in red on the white oval. (Looks like BUNSHŌ had a parting gift for him. It might come in handy.)

    Haku is checking Ikuto for vitals with the resignation of one who doesn’t expect a miracle. 

    Together they take her body back to the house and Gazelle’s tears and screams drive Zabuza to his room to pack. When he exits the house he’s startled to find he’s not alone. Haku is waiting there. Silent but packed and changed and they set off without a word.

 

* * *

 

    Haku continues to train and sucks up any knowledge like a desiccated sponge. After they freeze an opponent instinctively, Zabuza’s long held suspicion is confirmed and he tells Haku that they posses a kekkei genkai. Haku begins to discover their abilities and limits with the fervor of the curious and devoted. 

    Zabuza smiles under his bandages as he watches. Kirigakure tried to whip out the bloodlines and now they will be their salvation. 

 

* * *

 

    One day Haku wakes up Zabuza in a panic babbling about blood and how they’re sorry and something else. He looks over and the sheets are red and he wants nothing more than to go back to sleep. Sometimes he wondered how Kasumi put up with them. With a groan he sits up and explains to Haku that it's okay, this happens about every month, maybe every month and a half. If they look in his bag they’ll find some of the things that he uses when his period shows up in all its glory. 

    After that they start to synchronize and it's rather inconvenient and unpleasant to be around the duo that week of the month. 

    Zabuza doesn’t specialize in seals but Kasumi had given him a small box years ago with a small transfer seal emblazoned in it. The letters he sends her leave her cackling and smiling at her karmic vengeance. 

 

* * *

 

    They start to build up a reputation in the underground. Sometimes Zabuza feels a little guilty over dragging Haku into this life. But then they look at him with utter devotion and loyalty in their eyes as if they can tell what he was thinking and he figures they would have followed him anyway.

 

* * *

 

        Zabuza is about eighteen when he starts to realize how beautiful Haku is. He also stubbornly ignores it. And when he is really trying he tells himself that near as they have figured, Haku is only fourteen. 

    It doesn’t help. 

    It just makes him feel a bit like a pedophile when he feels his orgasm rock through him warm and wet, thinking of Haku, deadly and sharp and precise and so, so, loyal.

 

* * *

 

    Life goes on.

    Zabuza hasn’t forgiven Kirigakure. He hasn’t forgotten either. 

    (But rebellions cost money. And running doesn’t pay much and costs a lot.)

    Zabuza might have managed to save some money but Gato’s offer is tempting. He doesn’t pass it up. 

    He has worked as a hired thug before. He’s had people underestimate him before too. It's not the optimal situation, but then the best situation would have been succeeding the first time around.

    The target is a bridge builder. He only paid for a C rank mission, the fool. The Demon Brothers offer to take care of him so they can continue to plan how to stop Gato from double crossing them. (Really it's inevitable, the only question is  _ how _ .) When they fail to return Gato is pissed. It would have to have taken a high rank Chūnin  or a Jōnin to take out the brothers as easily as they did but they should be no trouble against him. 

    Zabuza goes and Haku watches, their escape plan in place.

 

* * *

 

   Zabuza senses Haku’s chakra signature flaring, a sure sign that they have decided that this has gone on long enough and they are going to intervene soon. So he smirks unseen behind his bandages and presses the shuriken harder against Kakashi's hand, drawing blood. He can feel himself growing steadily angrier and more erratic as the fight with the Copy Ninja continues and strange. Why isn’t he predicting Haku’s intervention? And if this enemy can see into the future is Haku at risk?

 

 

* * *

 

 

    Haku watches Zabuza swirl under and calls on their bloodline limit to take them to him as fast as possible. They feel a tiny surge of fond irritation. If they had known that they would have been facing Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye instead of  _ ‘probably a high level Chūnin  or Jōnin’  _  they could have been better prepared. But no they just had to get right to it because Gato had insulted Zabuza, honestly what did they care for that rat’s opinion? But then Zabuza wouldn’t be Zabuza if he didn’t take everything far too seriously, especially honor. 

    They still, perched on the branch and watch as Zabuza, pinned to a tree by kuni, speaks with Kakashi. They see Kakashi’s eyes narrow. They throw the needles. There and There. With a tiny surge of vindictive pleasure they hit points that will not only disable Zabuza temporarily and hide his vital signs, but points that would normally have a man down for weeks, and  _ HURT _ . Their lips quirk behind their mask. That stubborn idiot. He’s going to rush in  _ again, _ they can feel it, but maybe this can prolong the inevitable.

   The tiny blond kid is cute. He’s probably only a few years younger than them but he reminds Haku of small forest birds that feel threatened and long to fly away, all poofed up and standing their ground and yet poised to spring. He has the indignation of one who has not experienced much death. Or much of anything. They are almost sad, really to have tarnished that brightness a little but at least the bright little bird is around friends who understand, and can explain. Haku wonders if they were ever that naive as they scoop up Zabuza’s body and transport them a safe distance.

 

* * *

 

_     There are many secrets in this body, they must not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.  _

    Chief of which is that it still breaths and it’s heart still beats. Haku is a little surprised when Zabuza stops them from removing the needles, but only a little. He yanks them out and if he was a little less careful, he wouldn’t end up in a  _ temporary _ death state.

    Then the idiot tries to move, all the while complaining about how sadistic they are and they can't help but smile. Back to normal already. They make it back to the house and get Zabuza situated on their bed. Mostly they just sit in silence together. Haku strokes Chikaze’s soft ears as she snuggles close. Sometimes Zabuza tries to move.

    This is usually followed by lengthy bouts of cursing. But at one point Zabuza breaks off in the middle of a particularly colorful rant. Haku catches sight of Gato and his thugs approaching the house through the window. Hake returns Chikaze to her cage. They wait in silence. 

    Gato comes storming in. Haku notice’s Zori and Waraji drawing swords but not removing them all the way from their sheaths. They are ready. But Gato storms up to Zabuza demanding answers and spewing insults. (And truly he is just showing his ignorance because did he truly expect Zabuza to walk away from a fight with an equal unscathed? This man has no concept of the nin and Haku could have killed him the second he set foot in this house.) Then Gato goes to remove Zabuza’s bandages and Haku snaps. They grab his wrist and snarl at him as they squeeze. 

    They hear Zori and Waraji moving and release Gato to disarm them. The blades are at their throats in seconds. Haku can practically feel their wonder and disbelief, but they were trained by the best. And they would really appreciate it if people would stop trying to kill their master and they would really appreciate not having to save said master every five minutes today because he’s an _ idiot _ . 

    “Don’t push me. I’m in a really bad mood.” The warning is a mute point really because they could have had them bleeding out on the floor the moment they were in the door, never mind what Zabuza could have done to Gato with that kunai. The swords clatter to the ground as Gato threatens them with one more chance. 

    Why today of all days.

_ We need restraint _ . A reminder to the both of them to honor the lesson Ikuto taught them.

_ Restraint, wait for the right moment to strike _ . 

    Let her rest in peace.

 

* * *

 

    Zabuza does not take well to inactivity and Haku was there for reasons other than extraction. And so together they pick apart the secrets of the Copy Nin’s sharingan. 

    In many ways it's laughably simple. (But that doesn't mean it's not devastatingly effective.) The piercing eye that sees every detail and the hypnotic eye working in tandem. The precise timing required to slip into an unfocused mind and create an illusion, to control movements is impressive. However like most delicate processes it's easily thrown off once you know. It's a simple solution of zero visibility mist and navigating bu sound. Child’s play. 

    (Like children's games it can change in the blink of an eye.) 

 

* * *

 

 

    Halfway through the week Haku rises with the sun and goes to the woods. It's easy for them to find the feverfew for treating Zabuza’s Chakra exhaustion. A bird lands nearby and they smile at its chirping. When they follow its path to its fellows they find them perching upon a boy with a shock of bright blond hair. 

    Haku has to take a second to place him but quickly identifies him as the boy who reminded them of a little yellow bird (oh the irony) from their last fight. But what he is doing unconscious in the forest is a mystery to them. They approach him and he doesn’t stir, not even as the birds take flight in alarm. 

    Haku stretches out their hand towards his throat. It would be so easy. So easy to eliminate this threat. So easy to keep this little bird boy from ever having his wings clipped. Haku withdraws their hand and lays it on his shoulder instead. The boy doesn’t stir. They shake him and it seems to register as he wakes, headless to the danger he just escaped. 

    The boy blushes as he asks them who they are and it makes him look young. They tell him they’re out gathering herbs for treating illnesses when he asks and they wonder if that is what they would have said if they had been gathering toxins instead. The boy follows them back to their basket and seems to be under the impression they are female. 

    He is easy enough to get talking and they don’t even have to try too hard to steer the conversation. The boy wants to grow strong and without thinking Haku tells him the best way they can think of to attain strength. To protect those precious to you. 

    They can’t stay here with this boy with his sunshine grin and simple questions. They take their basket and leave. They promise to meet again soon but they know it won’t be how he’s imagining it. And then just to see how he’ll react, they tell him that they're a boy. They can feel his shock from where their standing. They pass the boy’s teammate as they leave and they can hear their snipping as their voices fade away. 

 

* * *

 

    Zabuza can move around their room without assistance now and he is regaining some of his fine motor control. Haku does not know exactly when the next confrontation will be, but it is fast approaching. 

    Zabuza is getting impatient.

 

* * *

 

    Finally it’s come time to burn their bridges both literally and metaphorically. They’ve already taken part of their payment from Gato so they’ll finish this job, but they both get a thrill of vicious pleasure out of smashing the com the pig is shouting at them through. They take out the workers first and wait for their targets to arrive.

    The Hidden Mist Zabuza casts around their prey is thick and for a second Haku wonders if the Kubikiribōchō will cut it. But then Zabuza is taunting and one of the children, the dark haired one who threw the shuriken at Zabuza in the last fight,  _ moves _ . Even though Zabuza is only using ten percent of the possible power for the water clones he destroys them all. Its impressive. So when Zabuza jokes about them having a rival, they agree. Perhaps in time.

    But still they have the first move advantage, they’re going to use it. They whirl towards the group and the boy catches their senbon on his kunai. The pink haired girl covers the bridge builder. Haku wonders where the little bird of a boy is as they plead with his teammate to back down.

    All they receive is a snarled,  _ save it.  _ He doesn’t seem to understand the mistake he’s making. 

    It's second nature to cast the secret jutsu A Thousand Needles of Death with one hand.

 

* * *

 

    Zabuza trained Haku, he knows that they're playing soft. But when the boy causes a chakra explosion to deflect the needles and ends up blasting Haku back, it's a bit surprising. Haku catches themselves easily but the black haired boy flies up into the air, disappearing into the mist, just long enough to throw three shuriken. He goes to attack Haku from behind, obviously thinking he has gained the upper hand. Haku dodges the attack and blocks. They dodge a kunai to the head and get kicked in the head, flying back. They land by Zabuza’s feet. 

    (It’s not possible no one’s faster than Haku.  **Thought you were quicker huh?Now what else are you wrong about.** )

    Kakashi speaks up.

    So it seems the brats are tougher than they look. Zabuza laughs.

    If they keep going like this they’ll be the victims instead. 

 

* * *

 

    Haku starts to call their blood limit and they feel the air start to grow cold. They’re sorry it's come to this. The poor kid doesn’t stand a chance. Stepping into the mirror feels almost like coming home.

 

* * *

 

 

    Zabuza intercepts Kakashi before he can reach the ice mirrors and smiles under his wrappings at the sounds of senbon flying. A kunai soars through the air and lands between the girl’s, Sakura’s (?), feet. Kakashi is in an impossible situation, where if he moves Zabuza can accomplish the mission. When the girl throws her teammate his kunai Zabuza feels a surge of pride when Haku catches it out of the air. Though he does kind of want to yell at them to get back in their mirror where they can attack but not be attacked. He keeps silent. Haku flips the kunai to turn it against the kid but suddenly they’re knocked fully out of the mirror.

    A huge gas cloud erupts and despite it all Zabuza finds his attention drawn to it. He can hear Haku muttering as they get to their feet and it sounds a lot like,  _ number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja _ . 

    The blond kid starts yelling and calling himself the hero and yup that means the girl is Sakura and the one Haku is fighting is Sasuke. The intention to cast shadow clones is surprising. So is Haku intercepting his shuriken with their senbon to protect the brat. Why he agreed to weapons that could cancel each other out he’ll never remember. He can’t remember ever interrupting a battle to give a lecture either, maybe lecturing while they fought but never just standing there.

    Zabuza leaves the kids to Haku as per their request, he has bigger fish to fry any way. Though from the look on Sasuke’s face he’s figured out Haku isn’t aiming for vitals. And from the sound of it Naruto’s figured out their little deception, and Sasuke appears to have believed that Haku not addressing him, means they’re not paying attention. 

    Rookies.

 

* * *

 

    Haku melts back into the mirror. The ‘I’m behind you’ trick never gets old. Though they do find it surprising when Naruto sneaks into the mirrors and ruins their advantage. He seemed relatively intelligent. Apparently Sasuke doesn’t share their opinion on Naruto’s possible intelligence. It’s slightly gratifying to see his attempt to melt their ice fail. As is the sound the shadow clones make as they poof out of existence.

    But when Naruto speaks of dreams and respect and recognition it stirs something deep in Haku. That desire to protect and cherish. 

    No turning back, this bridge will be the battlefield. 

 

* * *

 

    Many things happen. 

    Zabuza engages Kakashi, his eyes closed. Sasuke manages to read Haku’s movements. Haku decides the time for games is at an end, their patience worn thin. Sasuke fights to protect Naruto as he passes out and the sharingan awakens. But Haku is still able to hit the points necessary for inducing a deathlike state and with both their opponents unconscious, they take a deep breath, a second too soon. 

    Zabuza only panics a little at learning of Sasuke’s sharingan, but at that point the loosened nine tails seal is a bit more urgent.

 

* * *

 

   As the swirling orange chakra dissipates, Naruto becomes more feral. He goes to attack Haku, and they slip into a stance, prepared to counterattack. What they’re not prepared for is Naruto running forward on all fours. The senbon are deflected and chakra explodes out in a shockwave. Haku feel’s the mirror shatter and slips out of one of the pieces. Naruto spins out of the way of their attack inhumanly fast and grabs their wrist before they can reach another mirror. Another wave of chakra and the rest begin to shatter.

 

* * *

 

    Kakashi senses it and summons his pack as he moves down the bridge as fast as he can. Zabuza hears the crackling ice and rushes as well. They see a figure fly through the wall of mirrors, followed by another. Zabuza moves but is stopped by becoming a chew toy. 

 

 

* * *

 

    Haku climbs to their feet, and leaves the pieces of their mask on the ground. They are expecting Naruto’s strike, but not his hesitation. Nor his questions. Or his insistence that they had it wrong, that they could have been acknowledged for something else. 

    He would have been a great friend.

 

* * *

 

    Zabuza wants to sneer when Kakashi belittles his attempts to free his village. As if it was a mere grab for power. As if a single island matters more than an entire shinobi population lead astray.     

 

* * *

 

    Haku reaches them just in time. Kakashi's hand thrusts through their shoulder. Their left arm goes flying away and blood sprays everywhere. The  Raikiri dissipates with a shock wave and the ninkin disappear as the senbon Haku threw pierces the scroll. Haku’s eyes widen as they convulse before they collapse into Kakashi’s arms. Zabuza gapes. He can feel their blood splattered on his face, warm and metallic. He forces himself not to think of the massacre long ago. It’s quiet except for the sounds of nature and the city in the distance. 

     Zabuza forces himself out of his shock. 

     So his future's all used up? 

     He laughs but it’s all wrong.

 

* * *

 

    Naruto runs towards the silhouettes of the group and stops when they come clearly into focus. 

    “What I don’t get it, what the heck's going on here?” He’s loud and indignant and shocked. Kakashi is staring at Zabuza but all his attention is on the body in his arms. Haku had thrown themself in front of his attack and he hadn’t seen it. He growls. “He saved your worthless life at the cost of his own.”

    As if Zabuza didn’t already know. Zabuza hesitates before chuckling and it seems to come out like an abomination. “Well done Haku.”

    Kubikiribōchō seems heavier than ever as he swings it. He hesitates for a brief second and that allows Kakashi to gather Haku into his arms and jump clear. He feels relieved but watching Kakashi lay Haku down gently and close their eyes, stings. The foot to the face is almost soothing in comparison. But it was Kakashi who killed them and so Zabuza will make sure he feels this pain. He charges again and Kakashi dodges easily, a downward strike and Kubikiribōchō crashes the ground. There’s a hand on the back of his neck and a voice stating the obvious. 

    But Kakashi is wrong. Zabuza knows what real strength is, he’s seen it before, even if the closest he can get is the next best thing.

 

* * *

 

    Gato has the worst timing and Zabuza thought that he wanted to kill Kakashi, but he wants to  _ hurt  _ the rat standing down the bridge from him. Kakashi flips away and so does Kubikiribōchō, as Zabuza feels pain radiate up both his arms.

    Here’s the double crossing they were waiting for, only now Zabuza couldn’t care less. The second the pig touches Haku, he plans to make his passing as painful as possible. Zabuza isn’t expecting Naruto, the little blond brat to try and charge to Haku’s defense. Nor is he expecting to be called out, or branded a rat or enemy #1. Seems the kid has his own sense of honor. 

    Hearing how much Haku loved him hurts.

    So does telling the little punk that Haku wanted to save, that he is in fact human. That he feels. (It seems they will never get their chance.)

    The kunai between his teeth is a trick Haku taught him and it seems appropriate that this is how he finally uses it. He lets his chakra wild and watches as some thugs run, and some freeze as he and his demon run towards them. He tastes metal and blood, some of it others, some his own and all he can feel is the  _ rush _ . Watching Gato’s head sag sideways is  **_wonderful_ ** .

    The kunai drops and the thugs seem to step back as he walks towards Haku. He doesn’t quite make it and he wonders if the kids realize that this is how killers end up. 

    Zabuza feels snowflakes on his skin and wonders if Haku is crying. Kakashi carries him to them and he’s thankful that he doesn’t begrudge him this. The least he can do for Haku is be beside them at the end. He places a hand on Haku's cheek. The sun shines through the snow clouds and a tear rolls down Haku's cheek. He feels it hit his hand. He wishes he could join them. 

    The world goes black.

     This is an ending but lets move to something else. 

 

* * *

 

    When Zabuza first joined BUNSHŌ he was given a plain white mask with a red swirl on it, and the call sign that went with it.

    Tsunami. 

    BUNSHŌ masks are rotated, just like their call signs, but none fit him as well as his first. It's fitting that it comes back to him and guards Haku's identity for years. 

    They are both tsunamis in a way.

    Zabuza is the waves impact, the destruction left in its wake.

    Haku is the wave itself. If you're foolish enough to miss the warnings the price will be high. 

     As dual as water the two of them. Capable of twisting themselves into the roles they tell themselves they have to play and then slipping right back to their unaltered state.

    Yes, Tsunami is a fitting name for them.

     Its fitting then, that Tsunami is the one who saves them. 

 

* * *

 

    Haku wakes slowly, drifting half conscious and fuzzy before their eyes open a crack. 

   (This is unusual. Usually they slide into consciousness fully alert and the blissful blackness is lost to their subconscious. They are also fairly sure that they had died, but this seems to prove them wrong.)

    They find themselves staring at a plain ceiling, a blanket covering them. There's a pain in their chest and shoulder. They keep their breathing as steady as possible as they slide their eyes from side to side, surveying the situation before they move. They glimpse Zabuza out of the corner of their eye and they're moving before it registers, going to push themselves up on their arms. 

    It's a rude awakening when they collapse back to the ground with a quickly strangled cry.

    “Haku.” Zabuza’s voice is soft and Haku feels warmth spread through them. A little more carefully they move to sit up. They glance down and for a second they can't quite comprehend what greets them. Their chest is swathed in bandages and where their left arm once was is nothing but air. Half in a trance they bring their right hand up and wince when they prod at the stump of their shoulder. 

     They glance over at Zabuza and find that he’s laying down, his arms and a large swath of torso bandaged. Kubikiribōchō is leaning against the wall. 

    “Where are we?” 

    Zabuza doesn’t get the chance to answer. In that moment a child comes in with a cup of water. He rocks back on his leg so he can shout over his shoulder. 

    “MOM! THEY’RE AWAKE!” He stands and glares at them until he’s joined in the doorway by a woman who is apparently his mother.

 

* * *

 

     Haku likes Tsunami. She's almost like the big sister they never had. Though the irony of the situation is not lost on them. 

    Inari is wary of them and glares whenever he thinks they aren't looking. Tsunami is better at understanding that the job wasn't personal. 

   The healing process is slow. And Haku has many days where their balance is completely thrown off. They're infinitely glad that they discovered the key to one handed hand signs years ago. But it doesn't stop them from feeling, well, useless. 

   They're curled up next to Zabuza one night, like they used to when they were a child, when they're feelings finally boil over. 

   “I'm sorry Zabuza.” They whisper as they curl further in. “I failed you.” 

     Zabuza turned to face them. “How could you say something like that?” 

     Haku's face pulls into a grimace. “You have no use for a broken tool. I could not, I can not, protect you.” 

     Zabuza is silent for a second before pulling Haku close. 

    “You are not a tool. And you have not broken.” Is all he says before kissing them on the forehead. 

    He may not be the best with words, but this is a starting point, and isn't it much better?.

 

* * *

 

    He’ll give Old Lady Kasumi credit, she’s elegant, always has been. A vision in red and black. (Beautiful in the way that a forest fire is. Best to just keep your distance and watch it burn.) She doesn’t move when he sits next to her, doesn’t give him any sign that she recognizes that he’s joined her. She just brings her drink to her lips, leaving a trace of bright bloody red on the rim, before lowering it again. To anyone else the subtle tapping of her nails against the glass would seem unconscious. However, Zabuza knows that it is very, very deliberate. A subtle threat, a warning that her long nails could be painted red with something other than nin-polish if he makes the wrong move. Her red, red lips are curled up in a smirk. 

    This is a weapon forged in the Bloody Mist.

    “Momochi.” 

    “Akane.”

    She flashes her teeth at him in something that to anyone else would look like a smile. All his instincts are screaming at him to strike at her with Kubikiribōchō. Except it's with Haku because of the terms of this meeting. Her dark eyes quickly take in his under armed state and then she kicks out the stool next to her. He’s reminded of why little Suigetsu used to follow her around like a puppy with love sick eyes and Mangetsu soaked up any knowledge he could get from her and Kisame respected her more than the Mizukage.  

    “You got taller squirt.” She laughs at his low growl and it’s only because once upon a time this woman was his BUNSHŌ commander he doesn’t do something he would probably regret. (Oh how time will alter memory.)  _ Like calling her old to her face.  _ (Riptides are dangerous things, and there's a reason Kasumi has lived to thirty. Not that paranoia doesn’t help.) He wonders what the Mizukage did to piss off his best diplomat to the point of deserting. It’s not very often someone can pull off being both the carrot and the stick.

    “You still wandering with that talented little stray of yours? Heard you hit a rough bit of surf a little bit back” 

      “Yes.”

     He doesn’t even ask how she knows about fucking Wave. Kasumi makes it her business to know everything.

    “I see you haven’t gotten anymore sanguine though I do see you put a shirt on just for me. I feel so special.” 

    She looks him over in an obvious motion, though he can tell her attention is cataloging all his new scars. The illusion might have been flattering if she wasn’t almost twice his age.  And sickeningly in love with Mei last he checked. He just rolls his eyes. 

    “Are we just here to reminisce?” 

    Her face pulls comically. “Whats wrong with reminiscing? I’m getting old you know. I swear keeping track of you snot nosed brats is taking years off my lifespan.”

    Zabuza doesn't miss the way she uses the word ‘brats’ as in plural. “It’s a talent.”

    She tosses back her drink and he can just faintly make out the glowing trace of a seal underneath her hair. Huh, so either she was drinking, or someone was stupid enough to try and poison her. He was going with the former with the way she was looking longingly at her glass. 

    “No enough alcohol in the world to deal with you all.”                  

    He snorted. She was a deadly, daredevil drunk and a raging alcoholic. There was a reason for the alcohol filtration seal on her neck. He wondered what broke her ‘sober’ streak. 

    She stood up and pecked him on the cheek. She was level with him sitting. He didn’t remember her being so short. The Kasumi of his memories was a giant. He felt the waxy remnants of her lipstick. She swiped it away, leaving a faint red streak and as she did he felt a small note fall into his shirt. 

    “Tell your brat that they should work on their overall strength a little more. They have precision down and they're a good medic. ” She whispered and then she was walking away, calling over her shoulder, “We should do this again sometime.”

    Zabuza can’t decide if her note is helpful or not, but it does give them a direction to wander in. 

 

_ The shark swims in the forest. _

_ It's a new morning, but sailors take warning. _

_ Charybdis is waking _

 

    Nice to know that Shark Bait getting tangled up with the Leaf isn’t just rumors. However the Akatsuki, that's worrying. And Uzushiogakure, well last he had heard of that was Kasumi ranting about how Kirigakure had destroyed such a wonderful source of fuinjutsu knowledge.  He has a feeling this is going to be interesting. 

   Isn't it funny how the end is just another beginning? 


End file.
